Animals 'suffering for superstores'

Many animals reared for supermarket meat and dairy products suffer unnecessarily, new research says.

A survey by Compassion in World Farming (CIWF) found 90% of chickens sold in the UK stores were factory farmed.

The campaign group also criticised some supermarkets for continuing to sell pig meat from animals kept in confined areas. More than 75% of products made with eggs such as cakes and quiche use those from battery hens, CIWF found.

Overall, the group said, supermarkets were improving their welfare policies and practices. One of the biggest improvements was the trend towards selling eggs from free range instead of battery hens.

But CIWF said the majority of animals farmed for supermarkets were still intensively reared.

Marks & Spencer came top of its supermarket league to be named Compassionate Supermarket 2007. Sainsbury's scooped the titles of best volume retailer and most improved supermarket.

Asda got the lowest score of the eight chains surveyed, although CIWF said it used results from its 2005 survey because Asda did not participate this year. "The UK's second biggest supermarket has the potential to have huge influence on animal welfare but is behind other supermarkets, according to its 2005 results," the CIWF report says.

Somerfield came second from bottom, with the CIWF saying the chain ".. scored worse than any other participating supermarket on the welfare of laying hens, pigs, turkey, ducks and geese and also scored less well on the welfare of dairy cattle."

Tesco, the UK's biggest supermarket chain, came in fifth place. It has not committed to ensuring its boxed eggs come from cage-free birds, CIWF said.

CIWF's findings were based on stores' animal welfare policies for issues such as the rearing, slaughter and transportation of cattle, poultry, pigs and fish.